Bill
HB 2051
HB 2051 requires Kansas Legislature approval via concurrent resolution for any federal NHAs/NHTs that include Kansas land or state assets or use state funds to match.
Status and context
- Bill number: HB 2051 (Kansas), filed January 23, 2025.
- Committee referral: Referred to the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs (Kansas). House passage and subsequent actions are recorded (House passed March 5, 2025; transmitted to Senate; later re‑referred to Rules Committee May 31, 2025).
- Note: the supplied materials include unrelated HB 2051 texts from other states (Arizona, Illinois). This summary addresses the Kansas bill that concerns national heritage areas and national historic trails.
Main purpose
- To require the Kansas Legislature to approve, by concurrent resolution, (1) any federal designation of a national heritage area (NHA) or national historic trail (NHT) that extends beyond federal land in Kansas, (2) inclusion of state lands/water/property/facilities in any such designation, and (3) any state expenditure or transfer of funds to match federal monies for such NHAs or NHTs.
Key provisions
- Legislative approval required: Any designation by the U.S. National Park Service (or related federal processes under 54 U.S.C. §300101 et seq.) that includes non‑federal land in Kansas must be approved by the Kansas Legislature through a concurrent resolution.
- State property inclusion: State lands, waters, property, or facilities cannot be included in an NHA, NHT, or similar successor designation without legislative approval via concurrent resolution.
- State matching funds prohibited without approval: State agencies may not expend or transfer state funds to match federal funds for NHAs, NHTs, or similar designations unless approved by the Legislature via concurrent resolution.
- Effective date: The act takes effect upon publication in the statute book.
Who is affected
- State agencies that manage lands inside existing or proposed NHAs/NHTs (notably Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks — KDWP).
- Counties and private landowners within proposed NHA/NHT boundaries (designation proposals often include federal, state, and private property).
- State budget and appropriations processes (requires legislative concurrence before state matching or inclusion of state assets).
Fiscal and operational impacts (per Kansas Division of the Budget fiscal note, Feb 20, 2025)
- KDWP: Freedom’s Frontier NHA (established 2006) covers 29 Kansas counties and includes 14 state parks plus two additional state‑park managed properties (16 state properties total) and wildlife areas. KDWP reports the bill would directly affect Parks Division operations, revenues, and expenditures:
- KDWP indicates it could not operate those parks unless the Legislature separately approved expenditures for them; removing them from the budget could eliminate 54.00 positions at the parks.
- KDWP could not estimate the amount of revenue lost or expenditures saved if parks closed.
- KDWP states it neither currently spends state funds to add public properties to NHAs nor receives federal funds for NHAs.
- Other agencies (KDOT, KDHE, KDA, Adjutant General): reported no effect.
- Kansas Association of Counties: warns the bill could prevent some counties from obtaining certain federal grants and would restrict private owners from consenting to designation; estimates fiscal effect as negligible.
- League of Kansas Municipalities: no fiscal effect.
Legal/administrative note
- The bill conditions state participation or budgeting in response to federal designations on a separate state legislative approval step (concurrent resolution), shifting final local/state consent and budgeting authority to the Legislature rather than allowing implementation via federal designation or local agreements alone.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
